If you’ve ever heard a piano note go “wah‑wah‑wah,” you’ve heard string beating. For piano tuners, it’s one of the most useful sounds: It tells you, instantly, whether two strings are truly matching or fighting each other. In this article I’ll explain what beating between strings is, why piano string beating is so obvious in … Read more
If you’re searching for Eric Peppe—or you’ve been trying to reach him for tuning, repair, or lessons—you’re not alone. Eric Peppe has retired from piano tuning and has moved from Maine to Vermont. He is no longer scheduling service calls. Older phone numbers, email addresses, and online listings may not be monitored. I’m not able … Read more
I recently had a customer ask me to tune their piano to A432, and had to quickly calculate how many cents flat relative to A440 to tune. This calculation isn’t especially complicated, but it’s inconvenient to do quickly in the field. I decided to create this simple tool for my own quick and easy reference. … Read more
Pianos are creatures of humidity. I’m constantly talking to my customers about humidity, and it’s one of the biggest factors in tuning, regulation, and piano lifespan. It’s difficult to overstate the importance. Because the piano is largely wood, changes in relative humidity change wood moisture content, which changes dimensions and therefore regulation/tuning stability. Here in … Read more
Yamaha P-71: No Sound After a Spill The customer initially reported spilling water in the keyboard. However, on inspection, the substance was oily. It had also wicked into the keyboard contacts and speakers. The most damaged component—and the reason the keyboard made no sound at all—was the volume slider. I removed the original and soldered … Read more
Yamaha P-121 with Key that Doesn’t Play Two of the most common issues I encounter are keys that either don’t play at all, or play at full volume. Contact issues are, invariably, the cause. There are two parts involved in making proper contact: The rubber contact strips, which move and compress as the key moves, … Read more
In my Disklavier Upgrades guide article, I make reference several times to DKC-850 conversion cables. These are the cables you use to connect your older Yamaha Disklavier to a newer DKC-850 control unit (or a DKC‑800 converted to act like a DKC‑850). The original conversion cables were provided by Yamaha as part of the DKC-850 … Read more
This article is intended to explain how Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver systems are priced and why installed costs can vary so widely from one piano to another. The goal here is to provide realistic, current pricing expectations, explain the factors that affect cost, and help piano owners understand what they are paying for when a … Read more
Over a century ago, famous artists played on specialized instruments from Ampico designed to capture their work. Today, you can download those very same performances as MIDI files available for download! Your very own Disklavier can reproduce those century-old performances. What once were marks made by a nearly-extinct technology on chemical paper can now be … Read more
Customers regularly ask me which is the best humidifier for their piano and music room. Pianos are creatures of humidity: Wood is hygroscopic, meaning it naturally absorbs and releases moisture from the air depending on the humidity level. Controlling that relative humidity in and around your piano is the one of the most important aspects … Read more